The Clinical Engineering Society of Ontario held its 2017 winter conference at the Peter Gilgan Center for Research and Learning, in Toronto, and welcomed professionals and students from across the province. CESO’s annual event brought together guests from various cities across Ontario: Guelph, Windsor, Kingston, Kitchener, Hamilton, Niagara, Oshawa, Mississauga, and Toronto. There was also tele-access from the nation’s capital, Ottawa.

As a keynote speaker, Dr. Azam Khan, the Director of Complex Research, Systems at Autodesk, delivered an impressive presentation regarding the Parametric Human Project. The mission of their initiative is: “To greatly amplify the progress of the medical research community through systematic modeling of all aspects of human properties and processes” (Parametric Human Project). Their work is an inspiration and a prime example of the fascinating work that is happening locally. ​

​Greg Yhan, the Manager of Information Management at UHN and Jack Lam, PEng. a Medical Equipment Information Technology Specialist in the Department of Medical Engineering at UHN, had a session about Data Security and the latest challenges that are faced in this area.

For the capital planning session, Denis Chamberland is a member of the multi-disciplinary advisory group that led the recent Managed Equipment Services (MES) and Jay Ayres, the founding Director of St. Joseph’s Health System, Group Purchasing Organization (SJHS-GPO), covered the capital planning process from various angles.

Julia DeLange, a Biomedical Engineering Graduate from the University of Guelph who attended the session, shared her thoughts:

“My favourite portion of the conference was learning about the capital planning processes and how they are implemented within hospitals in Toronto. Addressing the unison that exists between healthcare and manufacturing industries is very complex. This session sparked a great deal of questions, leading to discussion and provoked deep thought of those listening to alternative methods of capital planning.”

For the parallel technical seminars, Stephanie Howloka, Lead Technologist, MEG Imaging, SickKids had a full house while delivering a presentation about 3D imaging, and Structur3d showcased their exciting technology for 3D printing soft materials.

​During the second day, we had presentations from the University of Toronto’s Clinical Engineering Students about the latest developments in Medical Technology. The three presentations were awarded cash prizes:

​Later on the day, Dr. Bill Gentles, Vice-president of BT Medical Consulting and President of CESO showcased his fascinating work in Mongolia. The recipients of CESO’s travel grant also shared their experiences, Jean Ngoie in Uganda, and Parisa Bahrami in Nicaragua and Guatemala, showcasing how Biomeds reached three different continents to provide expertise for international locations.

​For the second day, copies of TechNationwere handed out to attendees. For the parallel technical seminar, Ian Marlay, a Technical Service Representative from the Getinge Group, had an interesting demo of automated testing technology for Electrosurgical Units delivered to a variety of attendees.

The poster presentations had teams from St. Clair College, from Windsor Ontario, and Centennial College, from the GTA commenting on existing technologies and their application. There were prizes awarded for the three best posters as follows:

Sam Shi, a Clinical Engineering Master’s student from the University of Toronto mentioned that:

“The student presentation session is a highly engaging part of the conference. This year, the student podium presentations featured top 6 talks selected from students in the University of Toronto MHSc clinical engineering program. The poster competition drew entries from Centennial College and St. Clair College. The goal of student participation in the CESO conference is to cultivate the next generation of clinical engineers and biomedical technologists. Through research on a topic related to “new developments in healthcare technology’, and communicating their findings to professionals, students not only gained knowledge on a healthcare technology of interest, but also honed professional skills in research, critical thinking, public speaking, and networking.”

Mike Capuano, Manager of Biomedical Engineering Department from Hamilton Health Sciences, and Vice President of CMBES presented the Peer Review certificate from the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society to the Medical Engineering Department from the Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto Ontario. This elective assessment compares the current service provided by a department to the Canadian Engineering Standards of Practice, and provides quintessential insights regarding quality.

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After last year’s success, the Technical Troubleshooting Challenge was back with five presenters from three different institutions in Ontario. Compatible systems for Hyperbaric Rooms, Centrifugal repair tips, an App for Biomedical shop reference and standardization, Cathlab imaging solutions, Light-source issues and critical anesthesia repairs were the topics explored, and valuable information and tips were shared in these areas. A stimulating discussion followed.​Technical Troubleshooting Challenge Presenters: Wilson Zhang, from St. Michael’s Hospital, Chelsea Tomaino, from Niagara Health, Mina Peivandi from St. Michael’s, Larry Cortez, from UHN, Gad Acosta, from UHN, and Ashley Nagle, moderator from the Hospital for Sick Children.

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The Clinical Engineering Society of Ontario would like to thank all the individuals who made the 2017’s Winter Conference a great success: the organizing committee, sponsors, exhibitors, presenters, volunteers, and attendees. Your hard work and dedication made this event a possibility.We look forward to seeing you in the next conference, and we hope to continue uniting the members of the Clinical, Medical and Biomedical Engineering field in our provinceArticle by: Gad AcostaPhotography by: Julia DeLange, Sam Shi, and Gad Acosta​